A/N: This was inspired by some amazing art by Yaushie on tumblr and couldn't resist the angsty comfort feels! Hope you enjoy!

Everything is burning. Surrounded by the familiar intense heat again, drawing him in. Flames licking at his skin but leaving him unharmed.

"Natsu."

His body went rigid. A prickling at the back of his neck. He turned slowly to face the deep rough voice that always called out to him every time he entered this dream.

It was a dream, right?

It had to be. This scarlet scaled and horned monster or demon? Seeming to embody the embers that surrounded it as they spilled from its sharp-fanged jaws and slitted eyes, towering over him amongst the raging flames just couldn't be real.

Natsu's chest ached, almost as if a heavy weight was pressing on him. Fists clenching at his sides. These dreams, or whatever they were, never gave him any answers. Only leaving him more agitated every time.

"What do you what from me?" he exclaimed, voice straining.

The demon only erupting in a deep rumbling laugh. As if mocking his question. The tension cording Natsu's neck further.

"Natsu?"

His head snapped to the side. Lucy was standing among the flames, just out of reach. Clothes in tatters, ash smudging her fair skin, bleeding from her shoulder. Her voice soft and shaken, but she wasn't looking at him. Rather up at the looming demon in from of them.

"L-lucy?" he whispered. He could almost smell the salt of her tears and fear that radiated off of her. He wanted to run over to her, comfort her, wrap her in his arms with promises that everything was going to be ok, but his body refused to budge.

"Lucy! I'm right here! Tha- that's not me!" Natsu cried, reaching out a hand to try and get closer as his voice cracked at the end, but legs remained unmoving.

Lucy suddenly fell to her knees, hand trying to muffle her loud sobs, body quivering.

Fear shot up his spine. Still fighting and willing his body to do something, anything to get to her.

"Lucy! Please…"

The backs of his eyes started to burn, seeing her hurting like this and not being able to do anything about it.

"Natsu… This is who you are." The rumbling voice echoed.

"N-no… no!"

Natsu suddenly jolted awake. Not again, he thought.

Green eyes wide, chest heaving and trying to steady his breathing. His body was trembling harshly, feeling his shirt clinging to him uncomfortably from the sticky cold sweat on his skin. His arm was still wrapped tightly around Lucy who was still sleeping soundly beside him. Natsu relaxed his arm slightly to pull it from her gently.

He focused on her peaceful sleeping face for a few moments, trying to pull his thoughts together but his mind felt sluggish and everything felt like too much and not enough at the same time. He closed his eyes, taking in a few shaky shuddering breaths. Eventually dragging himself to sit up slowly. Raking a hand through the fringe in front of his face. Giving Lucy another lingering concerned look and brushing a few strands of her pale blonde locks behind her ear before standing and making his way out to the living room of her apartment. Falling into the plush armchair with a long sigh.

What the hell did these dreams mean? They seemed to get more intense and stayed with him longer and longer recently. Compared to the brief flashes they had started as during his year away that quickly faded into the back of his mind as soon as he woke. Natsu didn't think much of them at first so he didn't bother bringing them up to Happy or even Lucy when they found each other again.

But now… Now they had changed. Into something darker with an energy he couldn't shake off. Especially this time. It was the first time he saw Lucy in these dreams and he couldn't get the look of terror on her face out of his head. The demon couldn't be right, he can't hold something like that inside him could he? He couldn't. He would never be able to live with himself if something were to happen to her by his hand. Never.

Lucy felt herself stirring from sleep, something pulling at her mind. Reaching out a hand to the spot beside her, only to find it empty and cold from the radiating warmth she usually found there. Amber eyes opened slowly, head raising slightly. Her brows drawing in concern.

"Natsu?" Lucy murmured, voice raspy from sleep. She sat up slowly, pulling her legs over the side of the bed. Toes curling into the plush material of the rug.

She didn't bother turning on all the lights along her way to the living room, the bright moonlight streaming in through the windows giving her enough light to maneuver around.

Entering the living room, she could make out just enough of him sitting in the plush armchair he often lounged in, but what would cause him to come out here in the middle of the night?

The intrusive thoughts clouded his mind. Piercing through him, almost suffocating him. A sudden sharp throb in his head made him flinch, expression pinching further. Forcing him to hold his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He raised a shaky hand to run through his messy long pink strands, pulling some from the small ponytail he now sported often. The faint ringing in his head was quickly turning into a loud static of white noise. He could almost pick up on what sounded like whisperings of his name weaving through the static over and over again.

"Natsu?" she said softly, slowly making her way over to him. The closer she got, an ache shot through her chest at the state of him. She knew something was wrong as soon as she saw his eyes clenched shut, pinched expression, slight trembling of his body sporadically, shaking breaths.

A soft voice was filtering through the static.

"Natsu?"

Green eyes opened slowly at the faint touch on his cheek, the static haze in his mind reseeding slowly, eventually seeing Lucy kneeling before him, worry in her amber eyes.

Her expression softened a bit when she saw the recognition in his eyes. "Hey, there you are," she whispered gently, pushing his hair from his face before cupping his cheek fully, thumb brushing the skin softly, "are you alright?"

Natsu dragged in a deep shuddering breath, eyes falling closed again. A clammy hand coming up to grasp onto hers as he leaned into her palm. Her warm touch already working to bring him back and settle his nerves.

It was unsettling for her to see Natsu in such a state. She was always used to seeing him so confident, but over the past few weeks, she had been noticing some days where he had seemed rather off, like something was bothering him. Moments that would linger with him longer and longer, but she would always be right there next to him to bring him back to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her hand coming down to squeeze his other hand.

Natsu's expression tightened again, squeezing her hand back tightly. He could feel the words bubbling in his throat, wanting to escape but he couldn't get them out. The echoed words and Lucy's face in fear still lingering in the back of his mind.

"No…"

Lucy's expression softened, "Okay, then let's just do this," she said before pulling on his hands, bringing him close to wrap him in a hug. Her arms tightening around his waist, his own falling around her weakly. Lucy felt the slight tremors through his form while she held him to her rubbing his back soothingly, his head falling into the crook of her neck. Chest shaking with his shuddering breaths.

"It's okay, Natsu. I'm with you," she breathed into his neck, Natsu's arms winding tighter around her and taking in another shaky breath.

Natsu gripped the back of her shirt tightly, almost afraid she could disappear at any moment.

"I can't lose you, Lucy. Please…"

Lucy's heart ached at the broken tone, "You will never lose me, Natsu. I promise," she whispered, holding him to her tighter.

I love you too much to lose you either…